Nearly three dozen flea-bitten, anemic and skinny cats rescued from a Gresham hoarder arrived at the Oregon Humane Society late Thursday.

The collection of mostly tabbies will be treated for fleas and any illnesses, then spayed or neutered. They could be ready for adoption as soon as next week, said David Lytle, a humane society spokesman.

Acting on a neighbor's complaint, humane society investigators went with police officers to a duplex apartment in Gresham Wednesday. There they found the cats living in deplorable conditions.

"The ammonia stench just knocked you right back when you hit the door," Lytle said.

The apartment, which had a two-inch layer of feces on the floor, was deemed unfit for occupation. Several dead cats were found in the duplex's back yard.

The owner of the cats was taken into custody, given a psychiatricevaluation and offered mental health counseling. She was released Thursday and voluntarily gave up the cats to the humane society.

"It's sad," Lytle said. "Some people who are hoarders start off thinking they're saving an animal, then they're saving another animal, and all of a sudden they're caring for 40 cats in a small apartment."

"Obviously it just got out of control for this person."

Thursday afternoon, 34 cats were taken from the home, although officials think more were hiding inside. Humane society worker laid traps for the remaining cats. They will return to the home Friday.

Lytle said that it is not unusual to find one or two healthy and already spayed cats in a group this big. Those cats could be ready for adoption as soon as Tuesday.